


D a r k l i n g

by too_much_pressure_for_a_username



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, F/F, Horror, M/M, Magic, i dont know what this is, is this fantasy?, or is this real life
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-23
Updated: 2018-05-23
Packaged: 2019-05-09 04:06:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,999
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14708765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/too_much_pressure_for_a_username/pseuds/too_much_pressure_for_a_username
Summary: There are two possible outcomes that can happen when you decide to trust someone completely. One, you get screwed over. Two, you get someone who trusts you 100% in return."My name's Hinata Shouyo, by the way; thanks for not stabbing me!"





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey y'all! This is my first Haikyu fic and my first ever fantasy AU, so I'm pretty nervous about it ^^' I feel more comfortable writing angsty/fluffy one-shots that focus on exploring one specific relationship, but there were so many cool fantasy AUs in this fandom that I felt inspired and wanted to give it a shot. :)  
> Let me preface this story by saying I have no idea what I'm doing but I just finished season 3 of the anime and my head is still full of these boys, so I needed to channel that into something productive and this is the result. I hope you enjoy!

 

A flutter of wings rushed past the tall pine trees, ruffling their foliage like dark feathers; the wings shot up at breakneck speed, furiously tearing through branches, needles, going up and up until --finally-- they pierced through the thick darkness of the canopy and drifted off, scattered by the wind.

Crouching on the forest floor, Tobio peered up at the sky and squinted, eyes scanning for a trace of the winged creatures. The trees obstructed his view and it was hard to see much of anything by the light of the dim effulgence that glimmered on the horizon. He sighed, half in resignation, half in relief.

_Looks like I’ve gotten rid of them for now._

The boy took in his surroundings and felt another wave of relief wash over him; as he was fighting for his life and frantically running away from the Akumu, he’d somehow stumbled into a small, peaceful-looking clearing in the forest. Grateful for the temporary reprieve, he spent some time checking his body for wounds.

As far as he could see, nothing was sprained or bleeding. The utility belt he wore around his waist felt lighter, though; he counted his weapons carefully and grimaced as he realised that he was missing at least two of his trusty knives --that meant he only had eight of them left. Well, it could’ve been worse. It was a nuisance, sure --especially since knives were the weapons that he was most comfortable with-- but it wasn’t as if he’d lost all of them, and at least he still had his (rarely used, but crucial) torch.

After a few more minutes of rest, Tobio got up and made his way out of the clearing. He was tempted to stay for the night (whatever passed for “night” nowadays; the odd flares in the sky never really went out, they just got slightly brighter or weaker), but the place looked safe --a little too safe. Sooner or later some other Wanderer or Colony would stumble upon it too; or maybe they’d already had, and had voluntarily left the place empty as a trap. Either way, Tobio didn’t want to stay too long and run the risk of running into other people. It was never wise to overstay one’s welcome in a place that looked safe --at least, not when one was alone.

As he cleared a path for himself through the undergrowth, occasionally using his knife to slash branches out of his way, he told himself he’d been lucky to escape unscathed. He’d been foolish to lose his knives along the way, but it wasn’t the end of the world.

_Nah_ , Tobio thought, a bitter smirk tugging at the corners of his lips. _That’s already happened._

Many legends were told about the day the world came crashing down. Colonies swapped tales; wanderers wrote songs whose lyrics they carved into the barks of trees, so that future travelers could sing them and remember. Few of these stories survived in their original form; many were distorted; and nobody would’ve been able to tell how much fiction they mixed with facts. The disaster hadn’t happened that long ago, supposedly, but time stretched on into strange, measureless lengths when the sun and moon and stars became memories, and day and night were just words.

Tobio didn’t remember much from that time; he’d been a boy of about four of five years old, living a peaceful life on his parents’ farm. From the stories he heard, it had all happened very suddenly: one day, everything went well in the best of worlds...

...Then the next day, the sun didn’t come up.

People had panicked, of course, and speculated about the cause of such an extraordinary event. Respected astronomers in royal courts brushed it off as an unpredicted eclipse, but that explanation quickly fell apart as people realized that the moon wasn’t blocking the sun; there was no moon -- there was no sun -- the sky was empty, save for a pale, unnatural light that continually trembled on the horizon like the glow of distant fires.

Religious explanations were next. The gods were punishing humanity, priests and monks had said. Somewhere, someone must have done something so terrible, committed a crime so heinous that the sun itself had refused to shed its light on the world until humanity redeemed itself.

Ceremonies were held. Loud prayers were howled to the sky. Sacrifices were offered --fruit and cattle at first, then humans as food became scarce. People started to accuse each other of causing the disaster. Family members turned on each other. Since it was impossible to single out the one individual who was responsible for everything, despair and panic drove people to devise more “efficient” methods. Groups gathered together to organize huge massacres --hordes of men and women with swords, bats, kitchen knives and pitchforks would swarm into houses and slaughter entire villages at once in hopes of delivering the sinner to divine retribution, only to come out panting and sweating like wild beasts under an indifferent sky.

And still the sun refused to rise.

Not long after, the Akumu started to appear. The world had been thrown into constant darkness --not night, but darkness-- and sometimes there emerged from that darkness creatures that were darker still, blacker than black. People walking through forests, or mountains, or even in the comfort of their own homes, would suddenly feel a fluttering of wings and a cold breath of air around them. Slowly the creatures would take shape, small and unthreatening at first, like shreds of black silk torn from the night. Then they’d get larger and larger, closer and closer, multiplying until they became a swarm of large, bat-like shadows.

No one knew what they were exactly, or where they came from; all that one needed to know was that the Akumu were to be feared greatly. When a person found themself cornered, the Akumu would gather unto their body like heaps of flies, covering them completely --then, after a few seconds, they’d scatter into the air even more numerous than before, leaving no trace of the unfortunate soul they’d just devoured.

The arrival of the Akumu quickly precipitated the situation from already-pretty-crappy to complete shitstorm. In a span of months, kingdoms that had been built up in centuries collapsed into ruin. Civilization rotted away like a pig’s carcass left out in the sun at noon. Resigned to their fate, most people retired underground and languished their lives away in subterranean caves. Others were determined to stay on the surface and find a way to fix the situation --or simply to wait until the sun decided to show itself again. The smartest among them joined forces and formed colonies; the rest of them, the wanderers, loitered around on their own until they were inevitably found by the Akumu.

Tobio’s parents had been among the smart ones. They’d made sure to secure a place for their son in the strongest, safest colony they could find, and died soon after. Tobio remembers curling up in unfamiliar blankets and doing his best to muffle his sobs as strangers gazed at him in pity.

The colony had thrived for some years --as much as it could thrive in such circumstances, anyway-- before falling apart. At eleven years old, Tobio had set out to find a new colony. It was to be expected; most colonies didn’t last more than a couple years at best, and only a very lucky few were able to spend their whole lives in one colony. Despite his young age, he’d been a strong fighter and eager to do whatever he could to help, so it hadn’t been difficult to find another group to accept him.

The second colony he’d joined was named Kitagawara Daichi. It was a strong colony, stronger by far than his previous one. Tobio had done his best to catch up to the older, more experienced members of the group, and his efforts had been compensated; from the very start, he was acknowledged as a talented warrior and worthy asset to the colony. The recognition made Tobio glow with pride, and that was probably what fogged his mind and made him blind to the catastrophe that was bound to come.

Tobio gritted his teeth. Now was not the right time to sulk over bad memories; in fact, it was _never_ the right time for that. He did his best not to think about what had happened at Kitagawara Daichi, but it was hard to ignore it when the memory hit him like a kick to the gut. He could still hear the last words his companions had ever said to him --after all, it had been only a year ago.

_“You can’t just throw your knives around like that, asshole!” Kindaichi had yelled at him after a particularly close run-in with a cloud of Akumu. “You almost got me killed!”_

_“I told you to get out of the way!” Tobio had shouted back, just as livid. It was true; he’d told Kindaichi a million times that if he needed to train more in order to get faster. “If you’re too slow, you’ll get eaten for sure!”_

_The other boy had stared him down with an indescribable look; it had almost made him flinch. There’d been a whole lot of anger in his eyes, which was normal for Kindaichi (they’d never gotten along), but also something else… A hint of defiance, maybe, as if he’d suddenly come to a decision._

_“At this rate, I’ll be more scared of getting killed by you, rather than the Akumu,” he’d snarled viciously at Tobio, before turning on his heels._

_Tobio had stared after him, struggling to put a name on the uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. He’d looked for an explanation among the other members of the colony, only to be met with Kunimi’s steely, level-eyed glare._

_“You’re not the leader of this colony,” the other boy had said simply. “Don’t try to act like you are, or you’ll get in trouble.”_

Tobio hadn’t understood the meaning of his words until a couple days later, when he and a handful of other members were cornered by some particularly aggressive Akumu. He’d fought with all he had to slash his way through, trusting his companions to cover the holes in his defense --he’d always been better on the offensive. As the shadows surrounding him had gotten thicker and thicker, he’d glanced back at the others behind him, only to find that there was no one there.

_No one._

By some miracle, he’d managed to fight his way out of the situation alone. Afterwards, he’d taken a few hours to gather his thoughts and consider just how screwed he was.

The really painful part wasn’t that he’d been left to die by his comrades. In spite of or perhaps because of their impermanence, the bonds that tied a colony together were strong and considered sacred; members were expected to be loyal to each other, and being abandoned by one’s colony was unheard of, as far as Tobio knew. And sure, that had hurt. But what hurt most was that he knew --even back then-- that it had been his fault. He couldn’t even be mad at his comrades. From the rational point of view, they’d done the right thing: cut off someone who’d become a burden to the colony. If he’d been in their position, he’d have done the same thing.

 The sound of something rustling near him interrupted his thoughts. Tobio stopped in his tracks, barely breathing as he waited in silence. The sound returned, louder and closer now. Definitely closer. Tobio narrowed his eyes, hand reaching for the sword at his side. As a general rule, he used knives more often because they were easier to handle, and faster; but the sword was a personal favorite of his. If he had some time to prepare, it was a much deadlier weapon against Akumu and humans alike.

The rustling became louder and louder, a constant persistent noise that kept inching closer. It sounded like someone --some _thing_ \-- was heading straight for Tobio, while hiding itself in the undergrowth.

Tobio’s mind was racing. In this forest, there were two principles to live by: stay calm, and act fast. He waited, doing his best to steady his breath and heartbeat until it felt like the source of the noise was mere inches away --then he swiftly drew his sword and thrust the blade forward in an upwards motion.

_THWACK._ “Ow!”

There was the sound of something heavy hitting the ground before him, and Tobio pushed a few branches out of his way to step forward and take a closer look.

He got all of three seconds to take in the sight in front of him --fluff of orange hair in disarray, big childlike eyes wide with surprise-- before the “thing” sprang back onto its feet, limber as a squirrel.

_...What the hell?_

 

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

 

 

It was just a boy, probably about his own age, maybe a little younger. He was dressed in a large, maroon coat that was three sizes too big for him, and the metal bat he held firmly in his right hand looked too big for him to carry. The only other weapon he seemed to have was a rusty hammer poking out from the utility belt slung around his waist.

Tobio internally facepalmed. To think he’d gotten so worked up (no, not _frightened_ ) for something so harmless. His perception must be getting duller.

He snapped out of his thoughts to realise that the boy was now standing in front of him, hands on his hips, and attempting to stare him down. The glare in his eyes was fierce and he seemed genuinely outraged, but Tobio failed to feel very threatened.

“Oi! That hit my head, you jackass!” he yelled, pointing an accusatory finger at Tobio. “You should be more careful with that thing!”

He frowned at the sword, but Tobio could see the hint of awe in his eyes. He looked like he’d never seen a sword like this before, and Tobio felt a little taken aback at that. _Wait… Could it be that this guy has actually never seen this kind of weapon before?_

“Don’t tell me to be careful, moron,” he retorted, secretly satisfied when the boy visibly recoiled at his towering height. Being bigger was always an advantage, no matter how you looked at it. “You’re the one who charged at me at full speed in the dark. It’s only natural for me to attack something so suspicious; you could’ve been Akumu for all I knew.”

“Well I wasn’t! I mean, I’m not!” the orange-haired boy retorted, still looking way too offended for Tobio’s taste. “What if you’d stabbed someone by mistake?”

His eyes opened even wider, if that was possible. He sounded absolutely sincere --as if stabbing a person by mistake was really the worst thing that could happen nowadays.

A sudden realization dawned on Tobio: this weirdo probably came from the Underground. That would definitely explain his lack of weapons and complete cluelessness.

 _It figures. Has he even seen Akumu before?_ Tobio sighed internally. The Akumu usually stayed at the surface, so many people were content to stay cooped up underground to avoid them; but life in those subterranean caves wasn’t a piece of cake either. Some Underground dwellers got fed up and decided to come up for a breath of fresh air and a chance at a better life --a more dangerous one perhaps, but one that at least felt like living. Colonies tended to scoff at them and call them tourists. Most of them didn’t last more than a few weeks on the surface.

Tobio gave the boy a once-over. _This guy is roadkill_ , he decided, though he was a bit unnerved by the intensity of his stare. “Better them than me,” he answered levelly. “It’d be bad if I killed someone who meant me no harm, but they could’ve been coming to kill me too. You can’t know for sure, so you have to be prepared at all times.”

The orange-haired boy gaped at him for a while, before --to Tobio’s surprise-- his face split into a wide, toothy grin. “Wow! The things you say are kinda scary, y’know, but you sounded really cool just now!” he blurted out. “You seem like someone really strong!”

Tobio felt something stutter in his chest. Color flushed into his cheeks. Was that kid looking up to him with… admiration? A second earlier he’d been yelling at him as if hitting his head with the hilt of his sword was the gravest crime in the history of humanity, and now he was beaming at Tobio with unrestrained enthusiasm, all smiles and sunshine. He could practically see him wagging his tail.

 _What an idiot…_ Yet he couldn’t stop the familiar wave of warmth from rushing to his head; it was the feeling he got every time someone or something, be it humans or Akumu, recognized his strength. Of course he was strong. He wouldn’t have made it so far by himself if he wasn’t. Even back when he wasn’t on his own, before everything had gone to hell, he’d been respected and admired as a talented fighter, he’d been a driving force in his group, had helped them go on for years before they--

Tobio abruptly cut short that train of thought. It never led to anywhere good. There was no use in dwelling on the past; it wouldn’t help him survive.

“It all depends on what you consider strong, I guess,” he shrugged before turning his back on the small boy. “I’m strong enough to survive, so that’s all that matters. Best of luck to you or whatever. Don’t get caught in my path again; I can’t guarantee that I won’t stab you next time.”

“Huh? Hey, wait! Don’t just leave like that! Wait for me!”

There was the sound of light, rushing footsteps behind him and sure enough, the orange-haired boy was back at his side. “What’s your name? My name’s Hinata Shouyo, by the way; thanks for not stabbing me!”

“What the hell makes you think I want to know your name, dumbass?” Tobio snapped at him, feeling a vein about to pop in his forehead. Who did this squirt think he was, following him like they were best buddies? He lengthened his strides, hoping to leave the idiot in the dust behind him.

“Well it’s just good manners to introduce yourself when you meet someone for the first time,” the boy replied as if it was obvious --as if Tobio was the one being weird. “Didn’t your parents ever teach you that? C’mon, you almost killed me. You at least owe me a name, don’t cha think?”

Tobio stiffened. He didn’t like to owe anything to anyone. Besides, it’s not like it would do him any harm to tell the idiot his name; maybe then he’d leave him alone.

“...Kageyama Tobio. Now will you please stop following me?”

The boy ignored his question and kept jogging lightly by his side, short legs keeping up with Tobio’s larger strides with remarkable ease. “Kageyama,” he echoed, letting the name roll off his tongue with a faraway expression on his face, as if it were some kind of mysterious incantation. “Shadow mountain… That’s kind of a scary-sounding name… It suits you!” he suddenly exclaimed with a gleeful leap forward. “Because you have a pretty scary face, too!”

“Shut up. There’s nothing wrong with my face.”

“It’s scary, I’m telling you! But that’s not necessarily a bad thing.” Hinata’s tone changed, becoming more serious and subdued as he looked down at his feet. “I’ve never looked scary in my whole life,” he said quietly. “Because I’m small, people think I’m a lot younger than I am… and that I’m weak… That I can’t fight.”

Tobio shot a sideways glance at the boy and said nothing. There wasn’t much he could say to make him feel better (why was it even his job to cheer him up, anyway?). There was no denying the truth in Hinata’s words. It wasn’t just that he was short; he was _tiny_. He had a very slight frame, and his limbs looked slender and fragile, as if they would break like toothpicks if Tobio so much as touched them. His face was small and pale, and his eyes seemed too large for it; if it weren’t for some leftover baby fat, his cheeks would’ve looked emaciated.

Tobio probably wasn’t much better off himself --it hadn’t been easy finding food by himself-- but at least he was taller, and had a bit more muscle. He hadn’t been offended by Hinata’s comment about his face; he knew that he looked like he could take care of himself, and while he couldn’t exactly consider “scary” a compliment, it had become part of his armor. While it didn’t scare off the Akumu, it was intimidating enough to keep other humans from trying to mess with him or steal his supplies.

Hinata on the other hand looked like the very picture of vulnerability. Everything about his appearance singled him out as a weak, easy prey… except for one thing. _His hair_ , Tobio thought absent-mindedly. His hair didn’t fit the picture. The abundant mop of brightly orange fluff at the top of his head seemed to bristle with vitality. It wasn’t long, but the locks were so rich and healthy that they reminded one of a lion’s mane. Their color was so striking that Tobio found himself glancing at it every few seconds; he couldn’t help it. It was just so… orange. Even under the very lacklustre light of the sky, the radiance of it was undeniable.

It burned as bright as something that Tobio only very vaguely remembered, like a dream within a dream. His eye felt drawn by it, as if the firey curls were screaming “I’m here! I’m here!” in his ear, forcing him to focus his attention on the little shrimp.

“But they’re wrong, y’know!” Hinata suddenly exclaimed with renewed vigour, raising his fist in the sky. “I've been on the surface on my own for a while, now. I may be small, but I can definitely fight.”

Tobio snorted at him. “Yeah, right. You almost got knocked out by the hilt of my sword. You don’t even have any decent weapons on you. How exactly are you gonna fight?”

He’d expected the shrimp to get all flustered and angry at him. That would’ve been mildly entertaining, at the very least (short people were funny when they were mad). Either that or he’d have tackled him, which would’ve been more annoying (but hardly dangerous). The best possible outcome was that Hinata would get so pissed that he decided to leave, which was what Tobio was hoping for.

But Hinata did none of those. Instead, he looked up at Tobio with a mischievous smile --not the same toothy grin as before, but a tight, close-lipped one, as if he were holding back a great inside joke that only he knew about.

“I’m fast,” he said simply. “Real fast.”

 _...Ok, then?_ Tobio thought, raising his eyebrows skeptically. There was no follow-up, and he wondered how Hinata could think that being “real fast” was a skill that he could stake his life on. Of course, speed was an important asset: the reason why so many people fell victim to the Akumu was that they simply had no time to react before they were completely smothered by the shadowy bastards. If you could pinpoint the moment when the creatures started to appear around you, it gave you a couple more precious seconds to attack or flee, depending on the situation.

But speed by itself was useless. No matter how fast you were, you couldn’t outrun Akumu --especially when they multiplied and the darkness stretching out ahead of you started to rip and tear into a swarm of bat-like creatures, until you found yourself running straight into the very things you were trying to escape from. Once you saw them, the safest course of action was to attack immediately and ruthlessly, with whatever you could get your hands on. Fire was their biggest weakness, but that wasn’t always an option when time was scarce. They were vulnerable to different types of metal, especially iron blades; Tobio’s method of choice was to slash them to pieces. And then…

Fighting for your life against a bunch of quasi insubstantial shadow demons wasn’t the worst part. The worst part came after that.

“I’m not stupid,” Hinata suddenly spoke up after a long silence. Tobio looked at him again --the tattered coat that was too large, the innocent eyes and the complete lack of weapons-- and emitted a grunt of disbelief. “I know there’s no way I’ll make it on my own,” the orange-haired boy continued. “It doesn’t matter how strong you are; no one makes it on their own. In order to survive, I have to find friends, companions, maybe even a colony one day if I’m lucky… There’s strength in numbers! Say, Kageyama, you’re by yourself too, right?”

 _For over a year now, yeah._ “I am.”

“You don’t have any friends or family?”

Tobio felt himself getting irritated again. “No,” he said with a stern glare, hoping that would shut the boy up. “What’s it to you, dumbass?”

Hinata lit up like a light bulb as he beamed at him, practically bouncing with barely contained excitement. He opened his mouth to take a long inhale, and Tobio preemptively lamented the loss of his eardrums as he braced himself for the inevitable loudness that was to follow.

“This is amazing!” Hinata shouted at the top of his voice. “In that case, Kageyama, you and I should team up and go look for a colony we can join! Isn’t that a great idea?” Tobio fumed. His patience had reached its (relatively low) limit. He reached out and grabbed the idiot by the collar of his coat, slamming him forcefully against a tree trunk. “How the hell is that a _“great idea,”_ moron?!” he yelled in Hinata’s frightened face.

The boy paled. “W-Well, we’re together now, s-so I just, I just thought we could…”

“Thought we could what, dumbass? Become BFFs? In case you haven’t noticed, I don’t like you!”

Hinata’s face flushed. “What does that have to do with anything?” he retorted angrily, glaring right back at Tobio. “You said you’re on your own! You want to find a colony too, right?”

Tobio narrowed his eyes. “Of course I do. As you said, there’s strength in numbers. I know I’m not strong enough to survive alone; I’m not that deluded!”

“Then that’s all that matters! I don’t want to be alone, you don’t want to be alone; so let’s stick together while we look for a larger group! We don’t have to like each other! You think it’s fun for me to look at your scary ass face? I’ll protect you and you’ll protect me, that can be our deal!”

“I don’t fucking want to make a deal with you! I can--” Tobio bit his tongue and cursed between his teeth. What was he about to say? “I can protect myself?” Stupid. Hadn’t he learned his lesson? “What makes you think I trust you to protect me?” he said instead.

Hinata looked like Tobio had just punched him. “What do you mean?” he asked in a low voice.

Tobio sighed, the anger suddenly seeping out of him. “Look,” he started cautiously, “I’m obviously a lot stronger than you. Don’t look at me like that, I’m not trying to be an asshole,” he said as Hinata snarled and glared at him. “I’m just stating the truth. You know I’m right. I have no reason to make a deal with you if it doesn’t benefit me. If you can’t protect me, I’ll just be tiring myself out. You’ll be a burden to me.”

Tobio swallowed around the lump in his throat; his mouth suddenly felt very dry. Those weren’t easy things to say, and the expression on Hinata’s face wasn’t easy to look at, either. He turned around and started to walk away without another word. Had he been too harsh with him?

No, that had been necessary. It wasn’t that he enjoyed hurting Hinata’s feelings by saying all that, or that he didn’t feel compassion for him --he knew how hard it was to survive on your own in the forest, and he wouldn’t have wished that on anyone. By the look of it, Hinata had only recently left the Underground; he probably wouldn’t last more than a few weeks on the surface before being killed by another wanderer or consumed by the Akumu. It was a sad fate, but sad fates were commonplace nowadays and Kageyama couldn’t sacrifice his own safety to save the lives of thousands of unfortunate people who were consumed every day, every hour.

There was no use in feeling guilty. After all, Tobio had killed people and done a whole lot of other things for which his conscience could torture him. Every minute that passed since the world had ended had slowly but steadily lowered his moral standards until he couldn’t believe how low they’d dropped; relatively speaking, delivering a couple of harsh truths to some kid wasn’t bad at all.

Yet he still felt like he’d done something terrible.

“You’re right, Kageyama.”

Tobio stopped in his tracks. He thought Hinata had already scampered away, but one look behind him told him that the guy was still there, standing against the trunk of the tree as if he’d been glued to it.

“I know I’m right,” Tobio said stupidly.

“God, you really are a bastard,” Hinata groaned. “I know I’m not strong right now. But I’m a fast learner. I’ll get stronger, and then I’ll be able to protect you too, and I won’t be a burden on you!”

Tobio stared at him. _Is he… Is this guy about to…_

“J-Just hear me out, okay?” Hinata continued, voice rushed as if he were afraid that Tobio would cut him off or leave before he finished. “You’re strong, I get that. But you have your limits too. I can’t do much, but either way, I think two people together will always be stronger than one person alone. Whenever you can’t fight, I’ll be there to have your back. You don’t have to say yes right away. Maybe we could do like a trial run for a week or something, what do you say? We’ll stick together for one week and after that, if you decide that I’m really as useless as you think I am, I’ll leave you alone, no questions asked. Sound good?”

Tobio felt himself reddening. He’d always been prone to secondhand embarrassment. _Shit… This guy really is…_

“I’m asking you to give me a chance… Please.”

_Yep. He really is begging me._

Tobio groaned. He hadn’t had a lot of people beg him for something --a couple wanderers here and there pleaded for their lives when he was about to kill them. It didn’t happen a lot, but when it did, he hated it. He despised it even more than actually killing people. It was easy to kill a man by stabbing him in the back, or cutting his throat in his sleep, or in the chaos of a full-on battle --when people either didn’t know or didn’t care that they were about to die, because they’d accepted it. But when they begged you --when they got down on their knees and kissed your feet with tears in their eyes-- that was when they were at their most vulnerable.

Tobio had never begged for anything in his entire life, and did not plan on ever doing it. He remembered his mother saying, years ago when he was just a little boy, that his biggest flaw was his pride. He certainly agreed with her. The very idea of begging someone else physically repulsed him, it made him gag. When other people begged him, it made him feel like a monster. Because they were humiliating themselves, letting go of their dignity, doing what he himself would never have been capable of --and he was the one who’d forced them to stoop so low.He tried to kill them as quickly as he could, just so he wouldn’t have to look at their faces.

Thankfully, Hinata didn’t get on his knees. He didn’t cry. He didn’t even lower his head. Instead, he kept staring intently straight into Tobio’s eyes. It was a little unsettling.

“Oi, don’t start begging me,” he said, looking away in embarrassment. “I hate that.”

“You hate it when people beg you?” Hinata asked skeptically.

“Yeah, I do,” Tobio snapped. “It’s just…” He shrugged, at a loss for words. Hinata’s stare was making him uncomfortable. “Super lame,” he finished.

A flash of anger shone in the boy’s amber eyes. “Don’t you fucking call it lame! I’m weak, aren’t I? You said it yourself! I may not be as strong as you, and I may not be able to fight like you, but I’ll do what I can to make my way out! In this world, what can the weak do except beg the strong? Are you gonna look down on us for that, too?"

Tobio's throat had gone dry. Even if his mind could've provided him with a retort, he wouldn't have been able to get it out. The boy's eyes pinned him to the spot and forced him to return the stare, to look back into those eyes. With his frail legs apart and his puny, useless little fists clenched at his sides, he looked weaker than ever; but there was something in the set of his jaw, the tight line of his mouth that seemed unshakable. For the first time, Tobio was almost tempted to take him seriously. 

"Right now, you’re my best shot at survival," Hinata went on, barely a hint of reluctance in his voice. "I need your help, so I’m gonna do my best to get it. I can’t force you -- I’m not smart enough to convince you with big words. One day I’ll be strong enough to bring even you to your knees; but today I’m begging you. Don’t you dare make me feel bad for it because it’s my only way to survive.”

A couple seconds passed in complete silence. Hinata’s gaze was unflinching, seeking out Tobio’s eyes and forcing him to look at him.

“...Fine.”

Hinata’s expression immediately went from earnest to confused. “Huh?”

“I said fine, you dumbass!” Tobio roared at him, the tips of his ears bright pink. “We’ll stick together for a week, and after that you’ll get lost, understand?”

The boy gaped for two seconds, before squeezing his lips into a tight line and nodding furiously over and over again. “Al… Alright!”

Tobio turned around and started walking away, already regretting his decision. What had gotten into him? People had begged him before, and he definitely wasn’t used to actually granting their wishes.

...Then again, he’d never been begged quite like _that_ before.

Hinata trailed after him with a new spring in his step. “Thanks, Kageyama! I owe you one! It’s gonna be great, you’ll see! Hey, by the way, what’s your favorite food? Rabbits are hard to catch and I don’t really like them anyway, plus they’re cute so I don’t like to kill them… Pork is my favorite, but I dunno if there are any wild pigs in this area? Oh, ooh, do you think we should give each other nicknames? How about…”

He seemed to have gone right back to his usual smiles-and-sunshine self. Theoretically speaking, it wasn’t the worst idea in the world to have a beam of sunshine with you as you cut your way out of the darkness. A loud, exhausting beam of sunshine.

Tobio sighed. _Just one more week._

 

 

 


End file.
